Google Earth

I downloaded Google Earth and then proceeded to try to find the homes of everyone I know on it.  Some photos came up clear and some couldn't be seen at all.  My current home  showed up with a little work.  If the exact address is not on the satellite's list you have to go up and down the street a while, then maybe turn around to find it.

This is the house Wayne and I had built when we lived in Boise, Idaho.  My Dad came and built the fireplace which I LOVED so much, and he also put the brick around the front.  When we built it, it was dark brown but the yard looks pretty much the same.  This is where Shon went to school for the first time, and Amy was born when we lived here.  It is a very sentimental house for me.  The windows were large and extended clear to the floor so I could see everything and it was my first real chance to decorate, one of my favorite hobbies. I thought it was heavenly with it's large open beams in the living room, custom made cabinets and rock floor entry, all which I picked out.  Now I will be able to see it's progression or decay whenever I want.  It's a little spooky though isn't it?  If you plan to sunbathe in the nude this summer, you may want to change your plans.

Blackfoot, Idaho revisited

Each time we go on a little trip to Idaho and travel through Blackfoot, I always mention to Wayne that it is the quirkiest town I have even been through. Remember this?

The O's Have It: Idaho Part 2

We were there again last week and because we have been there a few times I really wasn't looking for anything new but as we were driving around, waiting for an appointment I saw this box in a yard. I thought it was a utility box like we all have in our yards. Now, I have one and HATE it. The guys who installed it didn't bother to make sure it was at all level or even parallel to the sidewalk (and I am known to like things in order), so it bothers me every time I look at it.
Wayne says this one has something to do with water, but I think I may have to borrow the idea and paint mine. Do I have to check with the city first?

This is the thing that really made me laugh this time. We ate at a little Mexican restaurant
in Blackfoot. Afterwards, as I used the ladies room and as I....um....washed my hands....there on the wall, right next to the toilet, was a large mural of the virgin Mary. What a treat! As you do your duty, you now have the Mother of Christ looking down on you. I'll leave it at that.

Did You Know?

Did you know that tulips (unlike other flowers) will continue to grow even after they are cut?

You can put your new tulips in a vase with their nice straight stems, and the next day they are bent over and look like they have been dancing. They grow rather quickly too as I found out when Wayne gave me these tulips for Valentine's Day. When I got them , I trimmed them all the same length and put them in the vase with the heads just showing above the rim. The next day, they they had grown an inch with the white tulips growing more than the red ones.

I trimmed the white ones and put them back in the water.

Here they are 2 days later....notice how much taller the stems are, and again the white ones are taller than the red. I actually used a rubber band to keep them from bending over so the stems wouldn't break. Tulips are one of my favorite flowers, and since I got them from my love, it is a symbol to me that loves keeps growing too.

Arizona Day 4

We checked out of our motel room and had time to waste before heading to the airport so we just toured Phoenix. We checked out a big casino because nothing else was open yet because I wanted to find a Christmas ornament. We always get a new one when we go on a trip. The only thing I found there was a group of people that were squandering their hard earned cash and didn't like they could afford to. I felt pity for them. I also came out with my hair smelling like smoke and I could hardly stand it. We stopped at a park and I walked around to try to let my hair air out. The park had a pond in the center of it and this is what I found in one area. You know how you sometimes find pop bottles, papers, cigarette butts, etc. in stagnant water? This one was full of that too but there were also oranges. There must have been an orange tree somewhere along the edge and they floated to this area. It seemed like such a waste. I love fresh oranges and almost jumped in to rescue a few.

Almost, but not quite....yuk.

The trees outside the motel were in full bloom and the air was
full of their perfume. This was a month ago mind you. Ah spring.
I looked out the window and what did I see, pop-corn popping on the apricot tree.

There was a gazebo outside the french doors of our room. I need this in my back yard. Wouldn't it be a cozy place to read a book and watch the birds?

I can never go on a trip without finding the geese. They are darling, and to watch them waddle is such a treat.

This was a most fascinating thing to see. A tree farm, (a palm tree farm to be exact), as far as the eye could see. Little baby palm trees all in a row. This is one reason I love to travel.

I love that Heavenly Father gives us variety on this earth, different kinds of beauty to make our souls sing. Tra la la

Hopefully, I will return to Arizona one day in the not too distant future, and I will drag along my children.

Arizona Day 3

This is Wayne in front of a little baby saguaro cactus.  It is only about 11 feet tall and has no arms yet.  Isn't it, I mean isn't "he" cute?  

This is the cactus uncle.  He has been around a while.  This one is about 30 feet tall.

Seguaro only grow about an inch per year so you can see how old these guys are. They are considered the Arizona state flower and can get up to 50 feet tall.  It's hard to believe just how tall they are until you stand under one.  I don't know how they live so long because their root structure is very shallow.  If they lived in my neck of the woods, the wind would have downed them long ago.

This is a cacti garden in Phoenix.  I had never really thought of them as beautiful before, but now I think they are.  If you enlarge this picture you can really see how lovely this landscaping can be.

This red rock cliff produced a single single cactus in a protected cavity.  It really stood out.

Here are the Mama and Daddy cacti.  Notice how they are hugging. Ahhhh!

This lady is about 25 feet tall but look how many arms she has.  Ladies always like more adornments don't they?  I think we counted 16 arms on her.

The first time I saw this scene I just laughed.  There are whole forests of saguaros.  I didn't really get the whole view with this shot but it just went on forever.

When you see this background don't you just think of the old cowboy movies?  I can just picture John Wayne and Roy Rogers on their horses looking out for outlaws and the Indians that just raided their towns.

This was a red rock formation in Phoenix overlooking the city.  I just love the contrast of the red and green? 

Some of the cactus varities were in bloom when we were there but even when they are not in bloom they are very attractive.  The difference though, is that I don't bend over and sniff these.

I don't know what this variety is, but I loved it.  It is so bright and fuzzy and when mixed with the greener variety, the contrast was really stunning.

Looking down over the red cliff was this little number.  I don't know what it is.  We looked for a sign but there was none, and we came to the conclusion that maybe it is someone's home.  It is massive and very well landscaped and taken care of.  Is that a telescope in the roof?  One thing we noticed about Arizona, especially Sadona, is that there are a LOT of artsy people and even more that believe in vortex spiritual worship.

There are a lot of psychics, aura energy offices, reflexology places that use the healing art of ancient royalty (whatever that means) where you can release your blocked energy, stimulate your body's natural healing,  open your heart, give readings, help you become empowered, help to balance your arura, teach you to let your radiant light shine forth,

offer holistic experiences,  natural healing and counceling retreats etc. etc.

I am beginning to think this home belongs to one of these spiritual advisor founders.

The dome on the top probably is there to open up and channel the vortex.  Yea, that's probably it.

When we were in phoenix, we went to the art museum.  We always love to go to the really good art museums.  This wasa god one. This one had several sections, but because of time constraints we spent most of the time in the Colonial and European sections with a side step through the modern section....and this was how I was greeted....a rat on my face.

OK, not really but Wayne thought she looked like me.  Crazy exhibit huh?

The problem was, I only got pictures of the modern section because I didn't know I was allowed to take pictures when I was in the other sections.  There were paintings from the great Russian and European artists as well as from Picaso, Monet etc.

Here is crazy #2.  A Mona Lisa look alike showing  her pregnany inside and out.  Huh??

This represents the eye, I think, and was carved from wood.  I actually quite liked this one.  Maybe there was some supernatural vortex in it.

This is for Colett.  She collects birds for her mantel.  They wouldn't let me bring it  home though and I guess it would have been hard to find a place on her mantel anyway.

This trees grows everywhere in Arizona.  I was so fascinated with it because it is green from top to bottom. I had never seen green bark before.   Check it out here. Arizona Symbols, Tree: Blue Paloverde - SHG Resources

More red beauty.

Don't you just want to go here and see this?  Me too, again and again.

And yet another beautiful mountain.

Palm trees in a row.  Everywhere you go there are stately palms. Wayne says he is going to grow one here in Utah.  He looked it up and there are actually a few that will grow in our zone.

I got out to take a few pictures, scanned the area....no snakes, no cacti....or so I thought.  There was a tiny cactus about as big around as a golf ball and somehow it jumped onto the bottom of my foot and embedded itself into my shoe.  Each step I took thrust the spikes in farther. I didn't have tweezers with me so I had to pull them all out by hand.  They are nasty little buggers let me tell you.